1 . Do you want to love what you do for a living? Follow your passion. This piece of advice provides the foundation for modern thinking on career satisfaction. But this can be a problem.

I’ve spent the past several years researching and writing about the different strategies we use to seek happiness in our work. It became clear early in the process that the suggestion to evidence. However, it passionate about your complicated. “follow your passion” was flawed, for it lacks scientific doesn’t   mean you should abandon the goal of feeling work. The reality emphasizes that the things are quite.

Passion is earned. Different people are looking for different things in their work, but generally, people with satisfying careers enjoy some combination of the following features: autonomy, respect, competence, creativity, and a sense of impact. In other words, if you want to feel passionate about your livelihood, don’t seek the perfect job, but seek to get more of these features in the job you already have.

Passion is elusive (难捉摸的). Many people develop the rare and valuable skills leading to passion, but still end up unhappy in their work. The problem is that the features leading you to love your work are more likely to be useful to you than your organization. As you become increasingly “valuable”, for example, your boss might push you toward traditional promotions that come with more pay and more responsibility, as this is what is most useful to your company. However, you might find more passion by applying your value to gain autonomy in your schedule or project selection.

Passion is dangerous. I’ve watched too many of my peers fall into anxiety and chronic job-hopping due to the “follow your passion” advice. The issue is expectations. If you believe we all have a pre-existing passion, and that matching it to a job will lead to instant workplace happiness, reality will always pale in comparison.

Work is hard. Not every day is fun. If you’re seeking a dream job, you’ll end up frustrated, again and again. Don’t set out to discover passion. Instead, set out to develop it. This path might be longer and more complicated than what most cheerful career guides might advocate, but it’s a path much more likely to lead you somewhere worth going.

1. People satisfied with their careers are _____.

A．autonomous and passionate	B．creative and passionate
C．respectable and sensitive	D．creative and competent

2. What is the author’s advice on achieving career satisfaction?

A．Figuring out what one will do in the future.

B．Matching the pre-existing passion to one’s work.

C．Developing passion for what one is doing.

D．Discovering skills that lead to interesting careers.

3. The underlined sentence in Para.5 probably means that _____.

A．it’s not easy to match our passion with our jobs

B．we shouldn’t think everyone has a pre-existing passion

C．high expectations of passion in jobs bring disappointment

D．workplace happiness doesn’t require a pre-existing passion

4. What’s the author’s attitude towards the advice of “following your passion”?

A．Neutral.

B．Disapproving.

C．Cautious.

D．Supportive.

2 . Stevens, a single mother of three children, was an active volunteer in her children’s school. She was always___ when they played sports in the school filed. John McGinty, the school’s principal, who learned Stevens’ situation, offered her a______ as an instructional assistant.During her work, she _______ her teaching certification and then made it to apply for a health and physical education teacher. She also ______ the job of athletic game monitor over the years, helping students______ athletics.

“I’m here by 8 am and get home by 9 pm,” she says. “I don’t think it’s ______because it’s what I love.”

_______ her goal of teaching the importance of healthy styles, Stevens also wants to encourage students when times are ________. “There’s a lot going on in their life, and I just want them to be happy and ______   of who they are. I try very hard to prove to them that they can ____ me,” she says. Those who have experienced her services say she finds a way of inter-acting with teenagers, so that they feel ______.

Stevens starts her every day with serving the students around her. That might mean ______ a student who has a successful solo (独奏) in a school performance, or helping a grandparent watch from a distance to ______locate his or her grandchild on the field and so on. “All of them ______,” she says.

“The kids feed my ________,” she says. “I treat them as if each of them were my own. I feel fulfilled when I am with them.”

1.

A．creative

B．outgoing

C．present

D．grateful

2.

A．position

B．cheque

C．choice

D．ride

3.

A．brought

B．sought

C．dropped

D．discovered

4.

A．gave up

B．called for

C．heard of

D．took on

5.

A．enjoy

B．miss

C．change

D．impact

6.

A．equal

B．normal

C．crazy

D．easy

7.

A．In honor of

B．In addition to

C．Because of

D．As for

8.

A．tough

B．limited

C．different

D．precious

9.

A．aware

B．sure

C．careful

D．proud

10.

A．rescue

B．observe

C．trust

D．shock

11.

A．defeated

B．challenged

C．cheated

D．supported

12.

A．challenging

B．congratulating

C．following

D．inspiring

13.

A．exactly

B．gradually

C．frequently

D．regularly

14.

A．work

B．suffer

C．matter

D．progress

15.

A．addiction

B．fear

C．desire

D．soul

3 . 听下面一段较长对话，回答以下小题。
1. Who needs to be nursed in the man’s family?

A．His wife.

B．His mom.

C．His kid.

2. Why is someone in her forties preferable?

A．She likes taking care of old people.

B．She can live with the man’s mother.

C．She is more patient and experienced.

3. How much is a live-in nursing worker’s monthly salary at least?

A．3,400 dollars.

B．4,300 dollars.

C．5,000 dollars.

4. What will the man probably do next?

A．Check the workers.

B．Fill out a form.

C．Meet a nursing worker.

4 . The Four-day Work Week

If Liz Truss can reduce a whole premiership to seven weeks, why can’t a standard working week be squashed into something shorter? A six-month pilot (试点) scheme, in which around 3,300 workers from 70 companies are testing out a four-day workweek, is due to conclude this month.     1     Like previous such experiments, it is likely to be praised as a success. A mid-point survey by the trial’s organisers — researchers at the universities of Oxford and Cambridge and Boston College — found that the transition had worked well for 88% of surveyed companies.

    2     In particular a four-day week forces firms to think harder about time management. Most businesses in the trial have encouraged employees to leave meetings when they are not contributing, and to be more selective about accepting invitations. Daryl Hine of Stellar, an asset-management company in London, calls this a “diary detox”. This also extends to reducing commutes.

Of the participating organisations, 46% reported maintaining overall output at the same level, and 49% said it had improved.     3     Its HR department has goals for response time to emails; its staff are given so-called net promoter scores, which track how colleagues rate their services. On both counts, they have made “rare” leaps, says Sharon Platts, the company’s chief people officer. Participants say that their employees feel more motivated.

Becoming a four-day operation can be hard in a five-day world, however. Bookishly, an online shop, chose Wednesdays off to avoid having three days in a row when packages are not mailed out; people are warned about the new schedule before they order.     4    

More tests are on the horizon. In January South Cambridge shire District Council will become the first British local authority to try out a four-day week. The lessons learned are likely to be valuable even if the idea does not spread.

A．Sceptics might observe that the companies involved are self-selecting.

B．Advocates say a shorter week delivers a better work-life balance without hurting overall output.

C．The trial’s largest company, Outcomes First Group, tracks indicators for its 1,027 participating employees.

D．The scheme holds useful lessons about productivity.

E．Platten’s, a fish-and-chip shop in Norfolk, gives its 50-or-so employees two days on and two days off to cover the week.

F．But customers are not always prepared to wait, so most firms in the scheme have tried to spread staff more thinly.

5 . I am going to discuss some of the choices available to you and which jobs are best suited to you: popular jobs, more unusual jobs or everyday jobs.

    1     Some jobs may seem dull but are important to society, while others can appear exciting but are actually difficult and boring. One example is the so-called “cool job” of being a model or an actor. These people seem to be living a better life than others. Actually, they have to make far greater efforts than ordinary people and only a few of them are successful. Meanwhile, those who are successful and famous have to deal with constant media attention.    2    

Other popular professions include careers in law or business. Many people have ambitions to become successful as a lawyer or business person.     3     These can be well-paid and interesting jobs, but you also have to work long hours.

On the other hand, some people find more unusual jobs suited to their talents and interests. Once I met a young man whose job was to check noise pollution in a park zone. He loved camping, and his job was like a holiday for him.     4     There are many other people doing unusual jobs, and they love their jobs, which might not be popular, but are interesting.

Likewise, many ordinary jobs, such as shopkeepers, drivers and barbers, may look plain, but they are necessary to society. Without them, we would not go about our daily lives.

When you think about your future career, remember some cool jobs can be rather difficult and that some ordinary jobs can be quite important.     5    

A．It does not seem that cool now, does it?

B．It was easy to see that he enjoyed doing his job.

C．All of them together, though, help society function.

D．He’s bored as his only neighbors were the birds in the nearby trees.

E．When choosing a career, you should consider all the aspects of a job.

F．They wear diamonds, go to parties and relax on cushions in private jets.

G．However, they may ignore the stress and pressure that come with these jobs.

8 . 听下面一段较长对话，回答以下小题。
1. What is Jenny’s problem?

A．She is under great stress.

B．She has high blood pressure.

C．She can’t get along with her workmates.

2. What mainly makes Jenny look tired?

A．The new job.

B．The previous job.

C．The dog.

3. What did the doctor advise Jenny to do?

A．Take some medicine.

B．Do more exercise.

C．Keep a pet.

9 . It’s true that colleges and universities remain an important source of talent, but when a college degree becomes a box-checking, it unnecessarily places a barrier between skilled workers seeking better jobs and employers in need of their talents.

A degree is an achievement, but with careers stretching to half a century, a one-time intensive period of study is not enough. The reality is that with the current pace of technological change, everyone needs to continuously expand their skills, especially as industries keep changing. The same jobs today will require new skills five years from now.

Hiring those who have already developed some of these skills through other experiences -like lower-wage gateway jobs such as customer service representatives and computer support specialists -can jump start the training process and help companies future-proof their workforce.

Placing higher value on other proven tools - like professional certifications, which are on the rise in popularity, and evaluating candidates via behavioral questions that allow them to showcase their skills during the interview process, are other ways employers can identify someone’s ability to do the job.

In this age of uncertainty, when companies prioritize skills (not degrees), they can build a stronger workforce that has gained experiences via many different routes, which can help to avoid “group-think” and lead to more energetic and creative teams. Those that play by the rules of an old playbook from an old era will fall behind.

The labor market has long been one of the opaquest (不透明的) markets in the world, burdened by the inefficient and unequal ways we match talent and opportunity. Recognizing the diverse ways skills are acquired and adopting a skills-first approach to talent will bring greater transparency, efficiency and equity to the labor market, making it easier for anyone from anywhere to achieve anything.

1. What employees may help companies future-proof their workforce?

A．Those with a college degree.	B．Those who had done lower-wage jobs.
C．Those keeping pace with changes.	D．Those without work experiences.

2. What else makes a candidate qualified for a job besides a degree?

A．Ability to use tools.	B．Popularity in previous jobs.
C．Achievements in college.	D．Skills shown in the interview.

3. What can be inferred from the last paragraph about the present labor market?

A．Chances are for real talents.	B．It recognizes both degrees and skills.
C．A skills-first approach is adopted.	D．It’s still unbalanced and needs improving.

4. What can be the best title for the text?

A．It’s Hard for People without a College Degree to Find a Good Job.

B．College Degrees Remains Important in Building a Strong Workforce.

C．It’s Time for Employers to Stop Caring So Much about College Degrees.

D．Anyone from Anywhere Can Achieve Anything in This Age of Uncertainty.